Pakistan is witnessing increased restrictions in the public sphere as the third wave intensifies with over 4,000 single-day cases and 11 per cent positivity rate. The Punjab government on Sunday made wearing face masks for people mandatory in public due to rising COVID-19 cases in the province.
“Masks are compulsory in Punjab now”, said Firdous Ashiq Awan, the Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Punjab on Information.
For those not adhering to this can be sent to jail for six months and fined, she added.
Furthermore, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has proposed a complete ban on all wedding ceremonies in Punjab from April 5 till Eid.
In a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the province, the government of Punjab has also imposed ‘smart lockdown’ in various cities of the province.
According to the notification, 27 localities have been sealed in Lahore, 19 in Faisalabad, four in Gujrat and two in Multan.
All markets, shopping malls, restaurants, offices (public and private) will remain closed in these areas. There shall be a complete ban on the movement of people to and from these areas, read the notification.
In the last 24 hours, 4525 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Pakistan while 41 lost their lives, according to the latest statistics released by the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC). Most casualties were seen in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by Punjab.
As of March 29, the total active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan stand at 46,663. Yesterday, 40,369 tests were conducted with Sindh conducting 9,140; Punjab:15,780; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KP):8,196; Islamabad(ICT):5,359; Balochistan:758; Gilgit-Baltistan(GB):377 and Azad Kashmir(AJK):759.
Out of 1,756 ventilators reserved for COVID-19 patients in the country, 387 ventilators are currently occupied. There is no patient on the ventilator in AJK, GB, and Balochistan. So far, Pakistan has seen a total of 598,197 recoveries.
A total of 659,116 cases have been detected so far in the country with AJK reporting 12484; Balochistan:19525; GB:5010; ICT:56450, KPK:85531; Punjab:215227 and Sindh:264889.
Till now, Pakistan has recorded 14256 deaths. Punjab is on top of the list with 6246 casualties followed by Sindh:4491; KPK:2301; Islamabad: 561; Balochistan: 206; GB: 103 and AJK: 348.
631 hospitals in Pakistan are equipped with COVID-19 facilities with 3,648 patients being treated across the country. A total of 10,107,095 tests have been conducted so far.
